A while ago, ATLUS released the final episode in their behind-the-scenes series of Reloaded: The Voices of Persona for Persona 3 Reload. It ends with the new cast giving their final thoughts on the game and the events that led up to now.
It begins with Aleks Le sharing the idea and the intrigue of players playing Persona. He believes that players will be invested in the story by witnessing the character’s progress and completing their character arc. The basic idea is that each character has their own story to tell and how they grow. Players can also find a character they can connect with.
Next is Suzie Yeung. She says that the theme of Persona 3 Reload is living your life to the fullest, going back to the game’s use of Memento Mori – “Remember you are human, remember you will die.” Once you accept that fact, then you can enjoy life fully. It is a message that any player can understand and appreciate.
Heather Gonzalez reiterates the point that Aleks made. The player can find and resonate with the character regarding their feelings and day-to-day living. The moment when players see one particular moment, it will make them say, “I can relate,” “It is just like me,” or “I had those moments.” Heather pays tribute to the original legacy cast for Persona 3, highlighting the honesty and balance of magic, dark tones, yet funny and bright moments. From their example, they can visualize their fellow actors and play off each other to make the moment as authentic as possible.
Dawn M. Bennett said that knowing her fellow actors beforehand made the performance real. Not only united to be starring in a Persona game but also the genuine friendship they all share. Being able to visualize their performance and know how to respond in turn.
Zeno Robinson took a personal take on Persona 3 Reload and said that it was cathartic for him. He shared that he was going through similar pains to Junpei and that he could grieve for himself and Junpei for a loss that had happened to both of them. He also says that he enjoys the series as it combines many aspects, from the mundane and funny moments to a bigger-than-life threat and the concept of fighting with Personas. Both the serious and the lighthearted moments.
Alejandro Saab said that he and Zeno usually have their character roles switched in different projects, that he is the bombastic character and Zeno is the cool guy, and vice versa. He then shared the moment in which he got the role and expressed spilling excitement and barely maintained composure.
Allegra Clark gave her thoughts and also added to the point of living your life to the fullest and Memento Mori. She understands that if you want to live, you have to face the dread of death and mortality. It may be just a game of kids saving the world, but it is so much more. Like the characters in the game, you just have to pull the trigger.
Justice Slocum was fairly worried about getting the role. Grant George’s performance of Shinji was big shoes to fill, but thankfully the public response was mostly positive and welcomed him to the role. He also enjoys it when people finish a part of the social link; they understand more of what the character struggles with and their life path.
Lastly, Justine Lee was in a similar position to Justice. When it was announced that she was going to be Ken Amada, she was just blown away by the fans’ support and the positivity from the news. She was accepted by the fans as well as being congratulated by her colleagues and peers. She then finishes that everyone in the cast’s favorite part in the recording experience is yelling out “Persona!”
And that is it for the Reload Behind the Scenes for Persona 3 Reload. From all of the actor’s perspectives, you can tell that there is a lot of love and passion for this project. The original legacy cast and the new cast for Reload, it is only proof that the Persona series has come a long way since then. It was the game that got many into the series in the first place. That was the case for me. So now in 2024, it may be other players’ first entry into Persona. Needless to say, Persona 3 Reload will be worth the wait. It won’t be long now.
You can view the last episode of Reloaded here.
Persona 3 Reload is set to release on February 2, 2024, on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC Windows, and Steam.
